The pressure to legalize marijuana is growing. Domestically two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized the recreational use if marijuana. Another 20 have approved its use for medicinal purposes. In Mexico the issue is growing in importance. For years Mexico has been waging a war against those who grow and traffic the drug. The government has killed thousands. Many more have died in internal wars between the drug cartels for the best routes to the United States. In Central America, the violence is also growing. As the pressure in Mexico grows, the cartels have expanded the field to include many of the small Central American republics. [continues 563 words]
If one looked at the Western Hemisphere from outer space, one would not see the borders that separate nations. At best we would see two large land masses -- North and South American -- united by a "thin bridge" between the two -- Central America. On land, our political leaders and governments see it differently. We have three nations of North America; seven tiny republics that make up Central America, and a score of nations in South America. They carefully monitor boundaries as a most important task. [continues 370 words]
Some stories make it to the front pages of our newspapers and we cannot ignore their importance. Take for instance the victory by leftist Ollanta Humala in Peru's presidential election Sunday. That is unquestionably a new challenge for U.S. foreign policy in the region. Then we have those stories that seldom make it to the front pages but are brought up often enough that we know that the United States has a problem. The violence in Mexico is a perfect example. With 40,000 dead since December 2006, the United States is conscious of a looming problem on its border. [continues 352 words]
The headline-making news in Mexico is almost always linked to violence. That is a fact of life for our neighbors south of the border. One only needs to do a quick review of the top stories in Mexico for the past week to realize how brutal the war against the drug cartels has turned in that country. Tuesday, for example, was supposed to be a good day for the Mexican government. Its troops had captured "La Barbie," the moniker for a U.S.-born man alleged to be one of Mexico's most ruthless drug lords. [continues 324 words]
I cannot recall the last time that a top U.S. official has spoken so clearly on the responsibility the United States had in fueling a foreign crisis. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted U.S. responsibility for the growing war between the Mexican government and the powerful drug cartels: "Our [the United States'] insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians." [continues 284 words]
